Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurates Malkangiri Airport

Malkangiri (Odisha) [India], January 9 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated Malkangiri Airport on Tuesday.
"CM Naveen Patnaik visited Malkangiri district and inaugurated Malkangiri Airport on Tuesday. The runway was constructed on 233 acres of land at a cost of Rs 70 crore. Malkangiri got the air services," the Chief Minister's Office said.
The Chief Minister's Office added that CM Patnaik also approved the Govindapally Irrigation Project across the Saptdhara River in Malkangiri District.
"4,000 crore will be spent on this project. 92,815 acres of farmland will be irrigated. During the visit of 5T Chairman Karthik Pandian to Malkangiri in March, he received proposals for the project from the public," the Chief Minister's Office added.
Malkangiri district got a major boost as far as connectivity is concerned after the inauguration of the much-awaited airport.
Patnaik also visited Terminal 2 after dedicating the Malkangiri airport. As per official sources, around Rs 29 crore has been spent on the construction of the airport's runway, which is 1,602 metres long and 30 metres wide. The airport has been built on 106 acres of land and it can handle small aircraft like the existing airport in Koraput.
Earlier, the trial run of a nine-seater VT-100 double-engine flight was conducted successfully at Malkangiri airport on January 7. Apart from the inauguration of Malkangiri airport, the Chief Minister was also handed over the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Satpadhara Irrigation Project.
The project work is expected to start in April and around 37,000 hectares of land will benefit from the project.
Minister Tukuni Sahu said, "Malkangiri district lacked transport systems and an airport has now been inaugurated following the launch of bus services. Apart from the airport, the irrigation project will also benefit the people of this region. The flight services will start from Malkangiri airport soon." (ANI)